Walkable, safe, good schools, affordable, liberal, Midwest? (apartment complex, rent)
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Is there a place where I can find all these things in the Midwest? I'm looking to move from my car-dependent, unsafe city with horrible schools into someplace that'll be better to raise a child. Here's what I'm looking for, in no particular order:
1) I want to be able to live mostly car-free or car-lite and walk to most places, also looking for good/fast public transportation I can use to commute to work.
2) A relatively safe area where I can walk around/use public transit without worrying about my safety.
3) Affordable, for me that means I can buy a house for $250k or under or rents are under $1200/mo for a two-bedroom so I can rent while I save up for higher-cost housing. If that's impossible, feel free to recommend higher-cost places.
4) Diverse, I'm black. It doesn't have to be income-diverse. I'm also okay with areas that aren't diverse but have diverse public schools.
5) LGBT friendly, I'm a lesbian.
6) Plenty of entry-level web dev jobs, or at least enough where I can find a job there and not have to move due to lack of jobs or commute a crazy distance. I'd ideally like a commute of 30 minutes via public transit, but I'm willing to commute up to an hour using public transit if that's necessary for a decent job. I don't want to commute any more than 20 minutes by car.
7) Recreation-wise, I love nature, parks, and coffee shops. Would love to have a horse someday, but I realize that "walkable" and "horse" are probably incompatible. I'm pretty much a homebody so restaurants/bars aren't too important to me. I do love going to concerts and raves.
8) The size of the place doesn't matter.
9) A liberal place. I'm a crunchy parent, vegan, hippie-type.
10) Weather doesn't matter.
Is there an area like this in the Midwest, or is this a pipe dream? I'm priced out of most of the places I've researched that are walkable with good schools. I'm hoping there's someplace I've missed. I know I might have to sacrifice some things, so I'd say non-sacrificable are walkable, good public schools, and open-minded enough that (when I get married) we can exist peacefully without running into issues for being a lesbian family with a biracial kid.
Chicago is best for what you want far and above anywhere else in the region. It may be pricier than your budget, but you might find a good deal away from downtown.
Sounds like the DeMun neighborhood of Clayton (just outside the St. Louis city limits) would be a great option. Clayton School District (#1 in the state of MO), very urban, walkable, transit-accessible and safe, and extremely diverse and progressive. Forest Park and Washington University are a stone’s throw away, and the neighborhood is anchored by a vibrant commercial district. Tons of families, incomparable amenities, centrally located in the St. Louis region, and a great mix of cultures and languages. And beautiful, charming, historic architecture to boot. Great mix of income levels too.
Try Oak Park Illinois, just west of Chicago. Two els into the big city, liberal atmosphere, diverse community, good schools, generally safe, walkable downtown area, and you can find two bedrooms there (condos) in your price range.
The challenge is the things you want- walkability, transit, jobs, safety, and good schools are the same things lots of people want, and demand far outstrips supply. As a result, areas that fit the bill tend to be some of the most expensive areas in their respective states. The areas I would look may not meet your budget. My guess is you will have to have some tradeoffs with your budget (living in a suburban parking lot surrounded apartment complex in a metro that has areas with the things you want). With that being said:
1. Chicago, Minneapolis, and St. Paul- They have neighborhoods that fit the bill, but may be out of your budget.
2. Big TEN College Towns- Again, fits the bill for everything else, but the specific neighborhoods that have most of what you want may be out of your budget.
3. MAC College Towns- I honestly don't know these as well, but maybe someone else on here might. A couple of the ones I've been to were pretty underwhelming. But I would guess they may be nicer than similar sized towns without a University. They won't tick off your checklist as well as #1 and #2, but they should be significantly cheaper.
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